Murp hy Carnegie Library 4-73
Peachtree Street
Murphy, N.C., 28906
The Cherokee Scout
and Clay County Progress 16 Pages-15'PER COPY
Volume 81 - Number 20 Murphy, North Carolina, 28906 - Second Class Postage Paid At Murphy, North Carolina - Thursday, December 17, 1970
Nativity Scene
( Chris, 2, and Mark Dickey, 11
months, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry
1 Dickey of Peachtree, frolicked with a
i litter of puppies in the straw of a
y colorful Nativity scene in the Dickey
yard Tuesday. The traditional
outdoor Christmas scene was
produced by Mrs. Dickey, Bernice
Roberts and Horace Ingle. (Avett
Photo)
Park Is Proposed
For Fort Butler
The Cherokee County
Historical Society has
temporarily dropped its dream
of rebuilding Ft. Butler and
would now like to arrange for a
historic recreation park on the
fort site.
Mrs. Eric Townson, who
heads the Ft. Butler section of
the county historical society,
says application has been made
to the Smith-Richardson
Foundation for a >5,000 grant,
which would be matched with
$10,000 of of local money.
A decision from the
foundation on the application is
expected by the first of the new
year.
This will be used, she says,
to purchase 22 acres adjacent to
the one-acre fort site now owned
by the Town of Murphy. No
restoration of the fort is
proposed, she said, but the land
would become a historic park,
complete with nature trails and
sanitary facilities.
A recent letter from the
North Carolina Department of
Archives and History has
dampened the restoration
dreams, she added since the
state historical officials said
that "there is nothing to
restore" at the site worthy of
state money.
Ft. Butler was used only
temporarily during the removal
of the Cherokee Indians in 1838,
the state officials say , and is
no more historically important
than dozens of other similar
stockades in this state, North
Georgia and East Tennessee the
Indians were banded together
before beginning the "Trail of
Tears" to Oklahoma.
The state officials have also
squelched the idea of a tourist
attracting historical outdoor
drama in Murphy, based on the
Indian removal, Mrs. Townson
added. They told members of
the Cherokee County Historical
Society that the "Unto These
Hills" pageant at Cherokee goes
into the red every year and
could not continue without the
support of various foundations.
Mrs. Townson said that
although the fort apparently
will not be restored, there is a
possibility that a museum of
Indian relics may be
established sometime within
the Ft. Butler park.
The state Department of
Archives and History has
provided Mrs. Townson with 30
copies of a recent study of Ft.
Butler, which are now available
to interested citizens at no coat.
Council Writes
Law On Cable TV
In its meeting Monday night
the Murphy Town Council laid
down the legal ground rules for
anyone seeking afranchise to
operate a cable television
system here.
Mayor Cloe Moore and the four
council members attending,
John Carringer, Joe Fowler,
Ken Godfrey and W.A.
Singleton, adopted a 14-page
ordinance covering all aspects
of the franchise, complete with
procedure to be followed by the
grantee in paying the town five
percent of the gross monthly
receipts.
Harold Shook, who has been
attending the Town Council
meetings and prodding for the
franchise, said he didn't like the
idea of paying the town part of
the profits but would go along
with it if that was the only way.
Town Attorney Herman
Edwards, who drew up the
ordinance, said he contacted a
number of towns and cities in
North Carolina which have
cable television and the general
rule was that the firm which got
the franchise paid five percent
to the town.
Shook indicated that he will
make application very soon for
the franchise. He said only after
the Town Council grants him
the franchise can he go to the
Federal Communications
Commission to get approval to
build the system.
The ordinance calls for a
cable system in Murphy to
supply subscribers with
programs from all three major
networks, reception of good
quality with rates to be
controlled by the Town Council.
The ordinance requires that the
system, its antenna or
cables to subscribers not
interfere in any way with TV
reception in homes which do not
subscribe to the service.
In other action, the
situation at the traffic light on
Valley River Avenue near the
elementary school was
discussed. Several council
members told of seeing cars run
through the red light at times
when school children were
using the crossing.
Major Moore instructed
Police Chief Pete Stalcup to
station an officer near the
crossing when children are
using it and ticket motorists for
violations of the light.
Chief Stalcup said a number
of complaints have been
received concerning the
establishment on Tennessee
Street known as the "upper
poolroom," a combination
poolroom and grill. He said
apparently much illegal
drinking and fighting goes on at
the poolroom but his officers get
little cooperation from the
management in stopping it.
Some of the council
members said they had also
received complaints about the
place and agreed to inspect it
this week, with an eye toward
revoking its license if
necessary.
Christmas Music
Festival Slated
The Clay County Christmas
Music Festival will be held on
Thursday night, Dec. 17, at 7:30
at the Hayesville High School
auditorium.
A number of musical
groups and talented individuals,
representing various Clay
County churches, are scheduled
to perform and the public is
encouraged to attend.
Bulldog
Photos
The color photos of the
1970 Bulldog football team,
Western AA champions of
North Carolina, are
expected to be ready at The
Scout office next
Wednesday. Those who
have placed orders for the
pictures may pick them up
at that time.
Tri-Tech Students
Fill Available Space
The student body continues
to grow at Tri-County Tech,
scheduled to get a badly-needed
new building soon.
"We can't otter any
additional courses now," Tri
Tech President Holland
McSwain said Tuesday. "We
just don't have the room."
Many of the state's
vocational schools experience a
slight drop in enrollment during
the Winter quarter, he said, but
Tri-Tech saw an increase.
There are 193 students now
enrolled in the regular classes
for the Winter quarter, which
continues through February.'
McSwain said the Fall
quarter had about 175-180
students and die Winter quarter
of last year had only 71
students. Some courses
(welding, carpentry and radio
TV repairs) are offering both
day and night classes to
accomodate the students.
The school, housed in what
used to be the Peachtree prison
camp, has made all the
necessary formal applications,
McSwain said, for more than
$350,000 to begin a new building
program.
There is $50,000 of state
money which will be used, he
said, and Cherokee County will
put up $25,000, to be borrowed at
low interest from the state
Literary Fund. The federal
Appalachian grant of $289,000 is
expected to be approved in
Washington in January or
February.
McSwain said the building
program is planned to
completely do away with "the
prison look the school has now,"
with a large new structure at
the front of the school and
additions and renovation of
present buildings.
Groundbreaking
Set For Memorial
mere win be a
groundbreaking ceremony for
the Murphy High School
Seniors' memorial project
Friday morning at 10:15 at the
high school.
This project is a permanent
memorial in memory of Debbie
Dockery, who was killed in an
automobile accident last
March; Alan Godfrey, who was
killed in a Peruvian plane crash
in August; and Suzanne Cook,
who was killed in an automobile
accident recently. All three
were members of the Senior
Class.
Most of the work for this
project is being done by the
Seniors with the help of John
Smith, contractor. A memorial
plaza with benches is planned.
The public is invited to
attend this ceremony.
New Baptist Church Construction
Attorney Hobart
McKeever, standing, and Wachovia
Bank's Jack Isaacs were all grins last
week as the bank made the first
Syment to the First Baptist Church
r the church property on Peach tree
Street. The church pastor, the Rev.
Woodrow Flynn, however, couldn't
take his eyes off the $14,000 check and
jokingly said he would be glad to pose
for similar pictures if the bank would
provide additional similar checks.
Workmen meanwhile, blessed with
suitable weather, have poured most
of the footings and are raising the
walls for the ha If-million-dollar
church plant just off US-64 West.
Buncombe Construction Co. of
Asheville has the general contract for
$452,000 and construction is expected
to be finished by early 1972. (Staff
Photos)
Medieval Instruments Displayed
Visitors at the Kelischek Workshop
opening last Saturday are shown
looking over some of the medieval
instruments produced and sold
through the new Brasstown
establishment. George Kelischek,
originally from Germany and a
resident of Atlanta for the past 10
years, owns and operates the
workshop. (Staff Photo)
M i "li I m m
...And Played
George Kelischek, extreme left,
is shown playing a Renaisance
instrument along with a musical
group for the entertainment of those
who attended the opening Saturday of
his new workshop at Brass town.
Instrument Workshop
Opened At Brasstown
The Kelischek Workshop
for Historical Instruments at
Brasstown held its grand
opening last Saturday
afternoon, showing those who
attended how medieval
instruments are produced and
played.
George Kelischek, who
owns and operates the
workshop says he has hired two
Brasstown craftsmen who are
now being retrained to make the
Renaisance musical
instruments Kelischek is known
for.
Yule Recess
Announced
All Cherokee County
schools will break for the
Christmas holidays at the end of
classes on next Tuesday,
according to Superintendent
John Jordan.
Gasses will resume in all
schools on Jan. 4, he said,
providing that the hoped-for
white Christmas comes on
schedule and leaves no large
amount of snow on the ground
after the New Year weekend.
"We're looking for fine
instrument makers now,"
Keiischek said. "We have room
here to eventually employ about
24 people." He said the
workshop also will probably
employ apprentice instrument
makers.
Originally from German,
Keiischek has lived and worked
in Atlanta for the past 10 years.
Approved as a master violin
maker in Germany after years
of apprenticeship, he admits he
"was never particularly
interested in modern violins."
Instead, Keiischek has built
quite a reputation for himself in
the precise craft of making
musical instruments which
were used in the period between
900 and 1750, the European
Renaisance.
Serious students of
medieval music and the music
departments of large
universities are Kelischek's
customers and he has a large
backlog of orders. Delivery
time of more than a year is
often involved, he said, pointing
out an instrument destined for
the University of Hawaii music
department.
In addition to being a
master instrument maker,
Arson Suspected
In Tom of I a Fires
Arson is strongly suspected
in fires which completely
destroyed two unoccupied
houses at Tomotla on Sunday
night.
Cherokee County Sheriff
Blaine Stalcup said an
investigator from the state Fire
Marshal's office has been called
into the case but so far no
arrests have been made.
Murphy volunteer firemen
were called out first about 8:30
Sunday night to a frame houae
owned by WS. Dickey and while
they were fighting that Are, the
second was reported. Damages
amounted to several thousand
dollars at the second fire,
Sheriff Stalcup said, as the
house was full of tarntbre,
owned by Lexy Walls.
Firemen
electrical
the fires.
Kelischek supervised the
building of his 4800 square foot
workshop and worked as a
carpenter and painter during its
construction, which began in
June.
The workshop is situated on
a 32-acre site near the John
Campbell Folk School and the
Kelischek family is living in the
building until their home, under
construction nearby, is
complete.
Kelischek said he plans to
offer courses in playing
Renaisance instruments at this
workshop in the future and may
also offer a short course in
amateur instrument making.
UF Drive
Falls Short
The Cherokee County
United Fund drive probably
won't reach its goal this year.
That was the glum word
Tuesday from Hobart
McKeever, president of United
Fund. The goal this year is
$32,000, he said, and the drive
will wind up by Christmas; at
present $30,500 has been
collected in cash and pledges.
"For the past two years
we've met oar goal without any
trouble," he said. "But tMs year
it looks like we won't make it."
He pointed out that laat
year the goal was $30,000 and
the drive brought in almost
$34,000, winning the local United
Fund organisation a trophy for
its 100 percent effort, highest In
the state.
Jncnefyrr saia urns year a
goal, increased fat
's, may be "a 1
on what
?JSl